Decay
by Iabri
Summary: Post-movie AU. M.K. decided to stay in Moonhaven for the remainder of the summer. After the defeat of Mandrake, everyone thought the Boggans had finally left. But when Nod is gravely wounded by their arrows, they realize how wrong they were. Contains blood. Nod x M.K.
1. Chapter 1

M.K. tightened her grip around Nod's waist and shut her eyes against the rushing wind. It was thrilling, riding on the back of a bird, but she hadn't quite gotten used to the dizzying blur of giant leaves and branches swirling around her. At least not when she wasn't the one actually steering the thing. It didn't help that Nod was pushing it to go faster than normal. The only thing that made her feel like she wasn't floating off was the solid torso beneath her arms.

"You doing okay back there?"

She opened her eyes a crack and looked up into Nod's soft brown orbs. He was gazing back over his shoulder with a crooked grin, his wild hair blowing crazily in the wind.

She smiled back and shouted to be heard over the tumult. "Just great!"

"Then keep your eyes open! You'll miss the whole ride!"

M.K. rolled her eyes. "Keep _your_ eyes forward before you run us into a tree."

"All right, all right." With one last smirk, he turned his head away and leaned forward in the saddle.

They were following close behind Ronin's hummingbird as he led the way to Moonhaven. The forest was dark and growing dimmer as thick gray clouds slowly blotted out the sun, and M.K. could tell the wind was picking up despite the gusts of air produced by their flight. Leaves whirled all around and branches swayed more and more violently. It was going to storm soon, and that made her nervous. She'd yet to experience rain while stuck in her current size, but she was sure it would be dangerous. She guessed Nod and Ronin felt the same way, judging from how they spurred their birds on faster than usual and the urgency in their body language.

Her curiosity got the best of her after another minute of flying and she leaned forward to ask, "Is it dangerous when it storms?"

Nod turned his head a bit to answer, but kept his eyes facing in front of him. "Depends. You don't want to get caught in the rain, that's for sure."

_Well, that's just great,_ M.K. thought, casting another anxious glance at the sky. It was a dark gray color and looked as if it was just waiting for the right moment to open the floodgates and drench them all.

Nod yanked on the bird's reins just in time to avoid a particularly broad maple leaf fluttering directly into their path. M.K. hugged him even tighter to avoid being thrown off by the sudden lurch, an involuntary squeal escaping her lips.

Nod took a dramatic gasp. "Say, could you loosen your grip a little before I suffocate?"

"Maybe when you stop driving like such a maniac!"

He laughed. "You'll thank me when the rain starts and we're safe in Moonhaven."

"If we're still alive," M.K. grumbled. She wasn't sure if he heard her over the wind.

It had been just over three weeks since the new queen had been chosen. During those weeks, Nod had been giving her the grand tour of the forest—a proper one this time—much more elaborate and in-depth now that Mandrake was gone and the Boggans had been subdued. Not one had been spotted since that day, something all the Jinn were extremely thankful for.

M.K. had probably been enjoying the time more than anyone. Every day, Nod showed her something new and amazing and she never ceased to gape in wonder—whether it was an underground waterfall, an up-close encounter with an animal, or a secret treetop haven. The forest was even more beautiful and mysterious than she ever could've imagined. Although she never thought it would take being shrunk to the size of her pinky finger to realize it.

She'd accomplished much during those few weeks. She had nearly mastered the art of leaping from branch to branch and could _almost_ keep up with Nod and Ronin now. During the time she spent at Moonhaven, she had made friends with many Jinn. They were all so kind and welcoming that it was hard to want to stay aloof. Somehow, she'd grown especially close with a daisy flower named Bellin and spent quite a few pleasant afternoons swapping stories with her. She missed her father, of course, but talked with him regularly via his many cameras. Most days he would even venture into the woods to talk with her face-to-face.

She wasn't sure how long she would stay shrunken, but she had a feeling it would be until the end of summer when she had to go back to school. But just in the past few days, she'd realized that she wasn't entirely sure she _wanted_ to go back. The more time she spent with the Jinn, the less she wanted to leave. Which was absolutely crazy, of course. Hadn't she wanted to return to her human size since she'd first been shrunken? When had that changed?

She asked herself those questions on a daily basis as if she didn't already know the answer. But deep down, she was already aware of the real reason she didn't want to leave. It was because the thought of being separated from Nod was almost unbearable. Yes, she loved the friends she'd made and the world she'd been introduced to, but the real thing tethering her there was that stupid, reckless boy. After her time with him, the idea of returning to the city had become considerably less appealing. And that was something she never thought would be possible. _Just like crushing on a guy the size of an insect. _

For now, she chose not to think about it. That bridge would be crossed later. In that moment, she just leaned against the toned back in front of her and relished the feeling of having her arms around him. It amazed her how, a few weeks ago, she'd been so reluctant to be in this position and now there was nowhere else she'd rather be. They'd been spending so much time together. She hated the thought of being out in the normal sized world while he was here, riding birds and running through the treetops without her. Mentally, she shook her head. _Not thinking about it._

"Hey, M.K.?"

She leaned her chin over his right shoulder to hear him better.

"I, uh…I was thinking," he said, his voice barely audible above the rushing wind. "Would you ever—" Suddenly he lurched. "GYAH!"

"Nod?" M.K. gripped his arm, feeling a twist of alarm in her stomach. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," came his quick reply. "Everything's fine."

But M.K. didn't miss the strain in his voice. She leaned up farther, trying to peer over his shoulder to see what was the matter. But before she could get far, he pitched forward again, his body going rigid, a pained grunt escaping his lips.

"Nod?!" M.K. shouted, fear wrenching her voice up a few octaves.

He didn't answer. He didn't even acknowledge that she'd spoken. Suddenly she was seized by a horrible panic. Heart pounding against her ribcage, she hoisted herself up in the saddle and finally got a good view over his shoulder.

Immediately the blood drained from her face. Bile rose to the back of her throat, forcing her to swallow to keep from vomiting. There were two arrows. Two crooked, rough, wooden shafts, one lodged in Nod's left bicep and the other buried in his lower abdomen.

For a moment M.K. could only stare in disbelief. Even when she saw blood begin to seep into the fabric of his shirt, her mind remained numb. She blinked, wholly believing the sight before her would vanish. But it stayed.

It took a full five seconds for her brain to finally kick into gear. She glanced up into the trees just in time to see the tail end of an ugly brown Boggan disappearing behind the trunk of a hemlock. Her mind spun. They hadn't been seen in weeks! Why now?

She didn't have time to dwell on it. Her attention turned back to Nod, horror churning in her gut and making her feel sick. Blood was quickly spreading across his stomach and arm, dark crimson covering the light green. His eyes were wide in shock and glazed over. And his chest had stopped moving.

"Breathe, Nod!" M.K. shouted once she'd gotten some semblance of sense back. Her fingers dug into his shoulder to get his attention. "_Breathe_!"

She must have gotten through, because he suddenly gasped and slumped in the saddle, the rigidness draining from his form and leaving him limp. Spastic, hitched breaths proceeded to rack his chest like hiccups. M.K. gripped him under the arms to keep him from falling completely forward and somehow managed to grab the reins from his flaccid fingers.

"You're gonna be okay," she whispered frantically in his ear, her voice breathy and shaking because she didn't fully believe it herself but it _had_ to be true. "Just relax. You're gonna be fine."

"I'm…I'm all—all right," the boy gasped, his voice quivering worse than hers had been.

The fact that he would try to claim such a thing right now was ridiculous, but at least it affirmed that he was still conscious, if not completely coherent. She gave the bird a hard kick in the sides, urging it to go faster. They sped through the air, quickly approaching the back of Ronin's hummingbird.

M.K. waited until they were almost side-by-side with him to shout his name. "RONIN!"

The Leafman didn't look in their direction, instead keeping his focus on maneuvering the fast-flying bird through the trees. "What is it?"

"N-Nod!" she screamed desperately through the rushing air. "Nod's been shot!"

Instantly his head snapped to them. Even from that distance, M.K. could see the way his eyes widened in horror as he got a good look at the arrows perforating Nod's blood-soaked torso. "Oh no…" he muttered in shock. Then, in less than a second, all traces of fear and worry were wiped from his countenance. His features hardened into a determined expression, his mouth set in a firm line. "Follow me," he commanded, and zipped off to the right.

M.K. struggled to direct the bird after him. She didn't know where in the world he might be going, but she hoped it was close. They wove through trees and branches at a frantic speed. Her arms around his waist were suddenly not a comfort anymore, now that they were supporting him and slowly getting covered in his blood. She tried not to think about it, but the image of the arrows piercing his flesh was seared into her mind and the warm dampness growing around the wounds was making her lightheaded.

It seemed to take forever to reach Ronin's destination. The wind only got wilder, creating a maelstrom of leaves and pine needles. M.K. muttered nonsense into Nod's ear the entire ride, hoping to keep him awake. She kept her eyes locked on the green tail of the bird ahead of her.

Finally, _finally_, it dove down toward a tree and landed on the side of a hollow in the narrow trunk. And not a moment too soon. As soon as M.K. was maneuvering her bird into the hole, the rain began to fall. She barely avoided being hit by a massive raindrop by ducking into the cover of the cavity.

Ronin was out of his saddle and by their side in an instant. M.K. released the reins and withdrew her arms from under Nod's. The boy swayed in the saddle for a moment, then slumped to the side with a groan.

"Whoa!" Ronin just managed to catch him before he fell all the way to the ground. "Easy there." Carefully, he eased Nod off of the bird and half-guided, half-carried him to the back of the small hollow.

M.K. slid out of the saddle and followed warily. As Ronin helped him to the ground, she could see his injuries head-on for the first time. They looked even worse now. His left arm was practically dripping with the blood pouring out from around the arrow's wooden shaft. And now his shirt was drenched, almost black with it. She had never been particularly squeamish about such things, but the sight of him covered in so much red was enough to summon a fresh bout of nausea.

But that vanished when Nod gave another yelp of pain. His face was contorted with a grimace and his body trembled. M.K. suddenly rushed to his side and knelt, pulling his head into her lap. Her fingers gently brushed through his sweaty hair as she tried to bring him whatever comfort she could.

Ronin bent over his torso and began inspecting the wounds with hard, calculating blue eyes. There wasn't a hint of emotion in his face, but M.K. knew he was distraught when she noticed the slight tremor in his hands as they hovered over Nod's chest. She herself fought to keep tears from her eyes. She wasn't prone to show extreme emotion, but seeing her friend in this state was unexpectedly hard.

It hadn't been a minute before Ronin stood. "I'll be right back." He walked toward the entrance of the hollow.

"Where are you going?" M.K. asked fearfully.

"Just outside. Not far."

Her brow furrowed in worry. "In the rain? Is it safe?"

"Yeah, it'll be fine," he replied, sounding confident. Without waiting another second, he leaped out of the tree and was gone.

The rain was falling harder now. M.K. could hear the steady drumming of large drops on the leaves and the branches and the ground. The only other sound was Nod's labored breathing.

She continued to stroke his hair, trying to look at anything except the horrible mess of blood covering his stomach. Her eyes fell to his face and she felt her stomach clench again. He'd gone pale. His eyes were screwed shut in pain and she couldn't tell if he was conscious or not. Sweat was beading on his brow quickly. She pulled the sleeve of her hoodie over her fist and gently dabbed at it. It wouldn't do much good, but she didn't want to just sit and do nothing.

"It'll be all right, you'll see," she cooed softly. "Everything is going to be just fine." It was an empty promise, but she had to believe it. The last time she'd seen a forest-dweller with an arrow in their stomach… She shuddered. _I can't think about that. Nod is strong. He won't let this take him from me. _

His head lolled to the side and he let out another low moan.

"Nod?" M.K. leaned over, hopeful. "Can you hear me?"

After a second or two, his eyes fluttered open and drifted up to hers. They were hazy and unfocused and filled with pain, but there was recognition in them. The corner of his mouth twitched into the faintest grin. It was enough for M.K.

She smiled, vehemently holding back tears, and smoothed a lock of thick hair away from his forehead. "It'll be okay," she repeated, just as much for her sake as for his. "Just hang on, all right?"

He gave a barely perceptible nod. Then his eyes slowly closed again.


	2. Chapter 2

**So, I took some liberties in this chapter with how the Boggans' rot works (I'm guessing I'm allowed since the movie didn't give hardly information on it, right…?). I've only seen the movie once, so you'll have to forgive me if there are any inaccuracies with the story. If you see any I would appreciate it if you'd kindly point them out.**

**Thank you!**

* * *

M.K. sat with his head resting in her lap, her fingers running through his hair, for several long minutes, praying that Ronin would get back soon. The rain pounded heavily outside. Nod's breathing grew raspier with each heave of his chest and blood kept on seeping into his shirt. She tried desperately to distract herself, but her mind kept coming back to him until she eventually gave it up.

It felt like a lot longer than the five minutes that had really passed by the time Ronin finally reappeared in the cavity's entrance. A couple of long blades of grass were slung over his shoulder and he was dripping from head to toe. He removed his helmet and gave his head a shake, slinging off drops of water.

"You okay?" M.K. asked.

"Fine. It's raining pretty hard out there." He didn't offer any further explanation, and wasted no time in kneeling on the ground and beginning to tear the grass blades into long strips.

"What are you doing?"

"Making bandages."

M.K. frowned. She didn't know much about first aid, but she was pretty sure that bandages needed to be sterile or there was risk of infection. "Is that safe?"

"Doesn't matter," Ronin said without looking up from his work. "We gotta get those arrows out before the rot spreads too much. Without bandages he'll bleed to death."

M.K. subconsciously reached for Nod's good hand. "You're…going to pull them out?"

Ronin gave a nod.

"But…but won't that hurt him?"

"Yes. But it has to be done." He piled the strips at his side and started on the second blade, ripping it right down the middle. "Or he'll die."

M.K. swallowed and tightened her grip on Nod's hand, fear constricting her chest. He couldn't die. She wouldn't let him.

She watched, anxiety growing in her stomach, as Ronin finished stripping the grass into what he judged were appropriate-sized bandages and brought the bundle to sit at the ready by Nod's side. Then he studied the arrow shafts again, as if deciding the best way to pull them out.

"Are you sure you know what you're doing?" M.K. questioned nervously.

"I've done it before." He shifted into a kneeling position over Nod's abdomen. Then he took hold of the arrow with both hands and breathed in deeply. "Hold onto him."

M.K.'s eyes widened in fear before she squeezed them shut and turned away, still clinging tightly to Nod's hand. She tried to brace herself, as if she was the one getting an arrow pulled out of her stomach. But she still wasn't prepared for it. She didn't see Ronin start pulling, but she knew when he did.

Nod's entire body tensed and he screamed.

He _screamed_.

His back arched and raw, painful cries of agony were wrenched from his throat in waves. The fingers around M.K.'s hand clenched into a white-knuckled grip that hurt, but she didn't dare let go. He writhed and twisted and she muttered comforting words into his ear, but it was obvious he couldn't hear her.

A part of her had been hoping he would be too unconscious to feel it. All she could do was grit her teeth and hold his hand and hope it would be over soon. But of course, it felt like an eternity before his screaming finally died down to whimpers and heavy panting. When she felt his form go lax in exhaustion, she dared to open her eyes again.

The bloody arrow was lying on the ground, no longer impaled in his flesh. Ronin was binding his torso in the grass strips as fast as his hands would allow, adding layer upon layer when the previous became spotted with crimson. When he'd finished, he turned to the arrow in his arm.

"This one doesn't look too deep," he mused. "Should be easier."

"Just do it quick," M.K. said, bracing herself again for Nod's screams.

But it seemed her fear was for nothing. Ronin yanked the arrow from his arm and he didn't stir. The pain from the first time must have been too much for him.

"He's going to be okay now…right?" she said after a moment.

Ronin didn't answer right away, which worried her. He took the remaining grass-bandages and wrapped Nod's arm up tightly, binding it firmly to his chest in an odd sort of sling. Then he leaned back on his heels, observing his work with a grim expression. "I can't say for sure yet."

"Wh-what do you mean?" Against her wishes, her voice quaked, but neither she nor Ronin took note of it.

The Leafman's face was dark, with lines of worry creasing his forehead. M.K. knew he was doing his best not to show fear, but it was obvious that he was terrified for the fate of his late friend's son. His eyes darted over Nod's bandages attentively under lowered brows. "I don't think the arrow hit anything vital. It wasn't very deep but…there's no way to tell how far the rot's gotten into his system. It acts like a poison. And the fact that there were two of them is concerning. If I didn't get them out in time it might be too late."

It was then M.K. thought she really would break down in tears. If she lost Nod now…she didn't know how she would go on. The thought of leaving him to return to the human world was painful enough, but at least then she could come back and visit. She could still see him. He wouldn't be _gone_…forever. She hadn't even known him for a month yet, but already she couldn't imagine her life without him in it. His infectious smile, his big brown eyes that could persuade her to do anything, his contagious laugh—they had all unknowingly turned her world upside-down. They couldn't be stolen from her. Not now. He was so young, so full of life…

Before she could stop it, her gaze fixed itself on the boy in her lap. The awful pallor of his skin was scaring her to death. His features were relaxed with the deep state of his unconsciousness, no longer taut and distorted with pain. His brow was damp with sweat and M.K. wiped it off tenderly. Then she watched his chest rise and fall with unsteady breaths, assuring herself he was still alive.

A sob hitched in her chest. She raised a hand to rub the tears from her eyes, but it only caused more to fall. She hated herself for being this weak, especially when Ronin was being so strong. No doubt images of Tara's death were flashing through his mind, and yet his face remained hard and stony. _Maybe that's just the way he deals with things_, a voice in the back of her mind whispered. Meanwhile, she found it impossible to keep her composure. She couldn't bring herself to believe the breaths the boy was struggling to take now could be some of his last.

She ran her hand over Nod's hair again and again, silently pleading for him to hang on. Begging him not to leave her. _Ronin can't lose another friend to the Boggans, so you better not die on him, okay? He needs you. _I_ need you. I'll never forgive you if you die. You hear me, Nod? Not ever! _A new wave of tears leaked from her eyes and down her cheeks. Then she shook her head. No.

_No._

She refused to believe it. She wouldn't let herself think like that. Nod would be just fine. In a couple weeks he would be right back to his old self, pulling stupid stunts and teasing her and mouthing off to Ronin during their training sessions. He wouldn't dare let himself be killed by something so stupid.

He wouldn't.

So why wouldn't her tears stop?

* * *

Except for the occasional twittering from the birds, the pattering of the rain was the only sound to fill the heavy silence that hung in the air. It came down in a steady, soothing rhythm that didn't sound like it planned on stopping soon. Nod had told her once that he liked listening to the sound of rain. He said he found it relaxing and tranquil. She'd never thought of it that way. To her, rain had always been an inconvenience and a symbol of gloom—certainly not something to enjoy. Leave it to Nod to open her eyes to yet another new perspective on things.

M.K. felt a pang in her heart as she found herself wishing he could be awake to enjoy it with her now. The very first rainstorm they'd experienced together and he was out cold, bleeding from horrible wounds. She closed her eyes and listened, determined to enjoy it for the both of them.

"Did you see the Boggan?" Ronin asked suddenly, breaking the peaceful silence.

She opened her eyes. "Yes. Well, the back of it."

He shook his head, jaw tightening in anger.

"Are they coming back?" M.K. queried fearfully. "They haven't been seen in weeks. Why would they come back now?"

"I don't know," Ronin admitted, his voice low and husky. "It might've just been one venturing out on its own. But we'll have to keep a closer eye out for them from now on. I just wish…" He cut himself off, shaking his head. Then he stood brusquely and walked to the cavity's entrance, where he leaned against the tree trunk and looked out at the forest.

M.K. frowned. She knew how he felt.

They stayed that way for a long time. Eventually she took it upon herself to clean the dried blood off of Nod's skin using her hoodie. She pulled it off and held it outside until it was soaked with rainwater, then delicately wiped his arm with it, being very careful not to jostle him at all. She wanted to clean his abdomen as well, but felt reluctant to peel back his shirt since it was also saturated with blood. In the end she decided to wait until the wound had definitely stopped bleeding before working so close to it. It worried her that the wounds hadn't been cleaned, but Ronin didn't seem to be too concerned about it.

When she felt she'd cleaned up as best she could, she pulled his head into her lap again and went back to stroking his hair. After a while, her mind grew numb and she stopped keeping track of the time. Her fingers running through Nod's tangles became a thoughtless routine, a strange sort of comfort. It wasn't long until his raspy breathing grew comforting too, acting as a constant, unwavering guarantee that he was still alive. Slowly, the dull gray light started to bleed from the sky, signaling the coming of the evening. The rain still had not slowed. M.K.'s eyelids began to grow heavy and her steady stroking began to falter.

"Why don't you get some sleep," Ronin suggested from the place on the ground he'd taken up not too long ago near the mouth of the hole. "I'll stay up with him and wake you in a few hours."

M.K. yawned, reluctant to leave Nod but longing to close her eyes. "Okay," she consented. Carefully, she lifted Nod's head from her lap and lowered it to the ground. She gathered some of the old, dried leaves that littered the little hole and used them for his pillow instead. Then, without thinking, she bent over him and planted a kiss on his forehead. "Let me know if there are any changes," she told Ronin before curling up and closing her eyes.

Sleep came easier than she'd expected.

* * *

A while later she woke up, disoriented. Her mind was fuzzy, still half-asleep. Everything was dark, save for the flicker of a small fire burning somewhere off to her left. What time was it?

Automatically, she rolled over to look toward the back of the cavity, though she wasn't sure why. She saw two figures through the darkness. One was lying on the ground, motionless. _Nod_, her drowsy brain reminded her. _Nod's hurt… _The other was sitting beside him, talking softly. M.K. was too groggy to process what he was saying, but she registered the sad, devastated tone of his voice. His expression screamed of hopelessness and heartbreak, the face of someone who was far more familiar with loss than anyone deserved to be. The slouch to his posture seemed wrong and out-of-place. His head hung as he continued to talk quietly to the boy on the ground.

M.K. lay there, frozen in place and struggling to wake up, and listened to the man's voice take on a pleading tone. She saw him lay a hand on Nod's shoulder in a loving and somewhat desperate gesture. Before sleep pulled her under a second time, she was finally able to make out a few sentences, spoken in a trembling voice.

"I already lost your father this way. And T…Tara. Please, I can't lose you too. Just stay with me. _Please_."

Something inside M.K. felt broken and empty as she fell asleep again.

* * *

**Thank you so much for reading! **


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys! Thanks so much to all you who've read the story so far! **

**And I forgot to mention earlier, this fic is based on a comic page I drew and posted on Tumblr a while ago (to the guest who asked about it). I just decided to continue it in fanfic form. In case anyone was wondering. **

**Enjoy! **

* * *

The next time she opened her eyes, the first thing she noticed was that the rain had not stopped yet. It hadn't even let up. In fact, it almost sounded like it was coming down harder now. Not a good sign.

The second thing she noticed was that it had been a lot longer than a few hours. When she looked outside, the gray blush of a stormy dawn greeted her. She sat up with a start.

Nothing had changed. Ronin was sitting at his usual place near the cavity's entrance, sharpening his sword on a rock and filling the small space with a dull _shing shing shing. _The fire was out, with only a gray pile of ash to confirm it had been there. Her eyes darted over to Nod, only to find that he hadn't stirred.

With a sigh, M.K. rolled onto her back and stared at the dark, rough ceiling of their shelter, listening to the rain pound outside. They weren't getting out of here any time soon. Her eyes traced the tiny fissures and cracks in the wood meticulously until she felt the beginnings of a headache. Then she rolled onto her stomach and fixed her gaze on Nod, willing him to wake up.

_Come on, you stupid boy. You can't sleep forever_, she thought, feeling tears start to pool in her eyes again. But this time she was determined not to let them get any farther. _Just wake up already. Let us know you're okay. _

When he didn't respond, she heaved herself up with a huff and rested her arms on her knees. She felt exhausted and dirty and sore from sleeping on nothing but a bed of brittle leaves. Her stomach was growling and the grime in her hair made it feel oily to the touch. The rain had put a damp chill in the air overnight and she shivered, wishing her sweatshirt wasn't wet and bloodstained. "You can go to sleep now if you want," she murmured quietly to Ronin. "I'll watch him."

The Leafman sighed deeply and ran the stone over his blade again. "Nah, I can't sleep."

M.K. frowned at him, hazy memories of when she'd woken up halfway during the night coming to mind. Had that been real or just a dream? "Are you okay?"

He finally looked over at her. Dark circles under his eyes betrayed how tired he was, how heavy a toll yesterday's events had taken on him. And yet he gave a weary smile and said, "I'm just fine. Don't worry about me. How about you?"

She wished she could dismiss her current state as easily as he did. Instead she hugged her knees to her chest and turned her face aside. "I…I'm hanging in there, I guess." Just then her stomach gave a rather ardent growl. "I could do with some food though."

Ronin nodded in agreement and glanced outside. "When the rain lets up a bit I'll go look for some."

"How long do you think it'll be before it stops?"

He shook his head. "I'm not sure. I can't imagine it could keep this up for much longer."

She picked at a loose thread on the knee of her leggings. "So why can't we go out in it? Is it really that dangerous?"

"In a monsoon like this? Yes. You'd be surprised at how many Jinn drown because they try to go out in this kind of rain. The raindrops are almost as big as us. Hurts like hell if you get hit by one."

"Oh." M.K. shivered again.

"I can manage when it's lighter rain," the Leafman continued. "Still have to be careful, but it's much easier to—"

At that moment, Nod gave a loud groan. M.K.'s gaze immediately snapped over to him, her heartbeat doubling its pace.

His eyes were not open, but his face was screwed up in pain. She instantly crawled over to him on her hands and knees. His breathing had grown shallow and wheezy and short. A sheen of sweat glistened on his forehead, plastering damp hair to his skin, and a deep scarlet flush reddened his cheeks.

M.K. pressed a hand to his forehead and felt a rush of alarm. "He's burning!"

Ronin quickly joined her and knelt by Nod's other side, regarding him with those same pensive eyes. "It's the decay." He uttered it so softly M.K. wasn't sure if he was talking to her or himself.

"What does that mean?" she wailed, feeling fear consume her for what seemed like the thousandth time in the past twenty-four hours. "Is he getting worse?"

"No, no, this is good," Ronin said, though his somber expression contradicted his words. He reached down and placed the back of his hand on Nod's forehead. "It means his body's fighting off the rot. As long as the fever doesn't get too high, we can take it as a good sign."

A part of M.K. found it hard to believe him because he didn't sound convinced himself. The crease between his eyebrows, the deepening frown lines around his mouth, and the exhaustion in his blue eyes left from a sleepless night of worry did not go unnoticed by her. He was trying to hide how much this was tearing him apart inside. She was perceptive enough to figure that out. But she also knew he would never admit to how worried he was, never show so much as a hint of the fear that was plaguing him. It had to be killing him, seeing Nod like this. She couldn't imagine how hard it was to be in his position. He'd lost so much already. He'd lived through so many brutal battles and witnessed the murders of dear friends, probably more than she knew. It broke her heart even more to think that he wanted to hide it, whatever his reasons may be for doing so.

But despite all that, here he was, assuring her that everything would be all right regardless of the toll it was taking on him. M.K. knew he couldn't keep it up for long though. Already his demeanor was starting to fracture and fail. Her memory of last night, if it had indeed been real, was proof of that. Now it just seemed as if he was trying to convince himself, as well as her, that things weren't as bad as they looked.

Nod coughed weakly. M.K. leaned over him, laying a hand on his shoulder, eagerly waiting and hoping and praying.

Slowly, he opened his eyes. She waited for them to look into hers, to see her there and let her know he was okay, but they didn't. They looked in her direction, yes, but they weren't seeing her. His gaze went straight through her, as if she was not there at all. The brown orbs were dull with the glaze of fever, hazy with confusion.

"Nod?" she queried softly, brushing her fingers against his cheek.

His eyes shifted and finally looked directly into hers but, unlike last time, were void of any comprehension. She couldn't tell if he was lucid or not. He blinked heavily before he was seized by a fit of coughing that caused his body to shake with spasms. They subsided after a minute, leaving him trembling in pain and panting harshly.

Ronin laid a hand on his shoulder. "You with us, kid?"

Nod groaned in reply.

"Nod?" M.K. tried again. "Come on, say something."

He took a deep, rattling breath, wincing when it pulled at his wound. "What…happened?"

M.K. couldn't help but smile in relief. His voice, weak as it was, was the best thing she'd heard in a long time. "You were shot. Don't you remember?"

He lifted his good arm and rubbed at his eyes. "Think so…I dunno," he slurred.

"How do you feel?" Ronin asked.

"V'been better." He hissed in pain and reached for his abdomen. "My stomach…"

Ronin hastily seized his wrist. "Don't touch it! Do you want to start bleeding again?"

Nod made a small noise, his features scrunching up in discomfort, but obediently let his arm fall back to his side. His chocolate-colored eyes roamed lazily around the ceiling of the cavity for a moment, confused and searching, before he seemed to realize something and spoke again. "Where…where are we?"

"A tree a while away from Moonhaven. We're going to get help once the rain stops. I would've gone already but no one could get far in this downpour."

"S-so we're stuck?" he rasped.

"Not for long." Ronin smiled at him encouragingly, but M.K. noticed how forced it looked. She hoped Nod didn't. "It'll be all right, it's already starting to slow down. It won't be much longer till it passes."

M.K. bit her lip at the lie. The rain hadn't slowed down at all.

Nod, however, obviously took Ronin at his word. His expression relaxed a bit and his eyes closed. "Okay."

She pushed her fingers through his hair again, smoothing it back from his burning forehead affectionately. It killed her that she had no choice but to sit and watch him suffer, that there wasn't anything more she could do to ease his pain. The frustration slowly growing within her was about to overwhelm her and give her the courage to brave the rain just so she wouldn't be forced to sit there and do nothing.

He cracked his eyes open at her touch and looked up into her face. A shaky little smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. "Hey, M."

She smiled back down at him, heart soaring at the sound of the nickname he'd taken to calling her in the past few weeks. "Hey, Nod."

"'S good to see you," he drawled out, eyelids drooping.

"You too," M.K. returned, continuing to comb his hair. "Get some rest now, okay?"

"M'kay." His eyes closed slowly again and he turned his head into her hand, obviously enjoying the feel of it in his hair. Before he slipped into sleep, he managed to mutter one last thing under his breath. It was so quiet and slurred she almost missed it. "Don'…don' leave, 'kay?"

She smiled again, running her hand down his cheek to reassure him. "Wouldn't dream of it."

With that promise, he gave a subtle, pained grin of acknowledgement before falling into unconsciousness.

* * *

A few hours later, M.K. sat cross-legged in the dead leaves beside Nod, head resting in her palm, dozing lightly. Her other hand was holding his. She wanted to maintain some kind of physical contact so that if he woke up he would automatically know she was there.

She felt exhausted and sore from being stuck in the cramped cavity for almost twenty-four hours. Not to mention greasy from the grime that had collected on the butt of her skirt, under her fingernails, and in her hair. Her ponytail was limp, her clothes were rumpled, and her stomach ached with the constant gnawing of hunger, but she tried not to focus on her own discomfort.

Earlier, Ronin had filled his helmet with rain so they could have water, which helped a little. It soothed her parched throat and brought about some sensation of refreshment. She'd used it to scrub some of the dirt off her face and hands, even though they didn't stay clean for long. Ronin had torn some of the hem of his shirt off to soak and lay on Nod's forehead. The water was lukewarm, not cold, and heated up pretty quickly from contact with his feverish skin, but they kept on re-soaking it because there was nothing else they could do. M.K. liked to think it did a tiny bit of good.

Soon there was nothing left to do but sit and wait. The birds had made themselves little nests by the entrance and alternated between sleeping and chirping out at the forest. Ronin rotated from standing and looking out as well, sitting and watching Nod, and occasionally pacing around the hollow in his stiff, military manner. He didn't appear restless or fidgety at all, but moved strictly on routine.

M.K., however—with the exception of getting up to stretch her legs from time to time—remained stubbornly by Nod's side, keeping a constant and unwavering vigil. But after a while she grew drowsy. The steady drumming of the rain outside eventually lulled her mind into a doze and she'd given into her heavy eyelids.

She wasn't sure how much time had passed before she was suddenly jerked awake. Her head shot up from her hand and she blinked, trying to figure out what had happened.

Something had changed. Something had made her wake up so suddenly. There must've been a noise or…

Her heart skipped a beat when she realized. It hadn't been a noise—it had been the lack of it. She glanced at the opening of the cavity and suddenly wanted to cry in relief. The rain had slowed. It hadn't fully stopped, but it was no longer falling in thick torrents. Now it was just a steady drizzle.

Her gaze snapped over to Ronin, who was slumped against the wood and finally getting some sleep. She hated to wake him now, but this was too important. He would want to know.

She crawled to his side and shook his shoulder. "Ronin! Ronin, wake up!"

The man raised his head blearily and blinked at her several times. "What…? What is it?"

"The rain's let up! Look!" She threw an arm out toward the hollow's entrance.

He squinted in the direction she was pointing, still trying to work the fog from his brain. Once he'd gotten a good look at the light rainfall, he finally cracked a genuine smile, his first one since before Nod had been hurt. M.K. never thought she'd be so happy to see something like that on Ronin of all people.

"Well, whaddaya know," he murmured quietly, rising to his feet. He brushed himself off, straightened his armor, and picked up his now-dried helmet off the ground. "I'm going to get some food. You'll be okay here?"

"Yeah." She smiled reassuringly, scooting back over to her post beside Nod.

He nodded, hoisting his saddle onto the back of the hummingbird and fastening the straps. Then he led it to the edge of the hollow and mounted in one swift motion. "I'll be back as quickly as I can."

As M.K. watched him fly off, an uneasy knot tightened in her gut. She told herself not to worry. Nod hadn't stirred since he'd fallen asleep a few hours ago. And now with the rain finally slowing, maybe things were turning in their favor.

She took the rag and gently wiped his sweaty face with it. He was going to be fine. Everything was going to be just fine.

* * *

Nod's entire left side was on fire. He'd never felt such intense pain before—not from being on the receiving end of Bufo's fists or training or falling from trees or _anything_. It was all he could do to stay coherent when he had woken up the first time. His arm ached and throbbed and his stomach burned like acid. He could feel the pain slowly seeping through the rest of his body, making it heavy and sore and almost impossible to move. His head was foggy and hot and he found it hard to keep up with what Ronin and M.K. were saying. Then the pain followed him into his sleep, lingering at the edge of his consciousness and just waiting for him to wake again so it could swallow him whole.

But the second time he felt himself waking up, it was from a different kind of pain. A roiling, churning discomfort in his stomach that was slowly creeping into his limbs and squeezing his organs. That's what it felt like, anyway. He tried to ignore it at first, tried to sink back into sleep where nothing could hurt him, but the pain won out in the end.

His stomach suddenly clenched and his eyes flew open with a painful inhalation of air. Before he could register anything else, he pitched to the right and retched, emptying the contents of his stomach onto the dirt. Distantly, he felt a hand rubbing his back but found no comfort in it. Even after his stomach was emptied, he continued to dry-heave until involuntary tears were leaking from the corners of his eyes.

It seemed like forever before his insides calmed down. He collapsed onto his right side and gasped desperately for air, exhausted. A burning, aching, pulsing pain lanced through him with every breath and he clutched at his side, gritting his teeth in a vain attempt to ward it off.

He didn't even notice M.K.'s voice frantically calling his name until his harsh panting had begun to die down a bit. The world blurred in and out of focus before his eyes, the air feeling like hot ash as he breathed it in greedily. But eventually through the cotton in his ears he heard her shouting, "Nod! Answer me, Nod!"

After another long moment, he gained enough control back to look up at her. He saw her bright green eyes through the haze, wide with horror and fear.

"Are you okay?" she yelled, one hand still on his back. "Can you talk?"

He sucked in another painful, wheezing breath. "I—" Then another bout of coughing burst from his chest. Each spasm sent a more intense pain knifing through his middle, steel bands tightening around his chest and squeezing until he couldn't breathe. All he could do was ride it out and hug his ribcage and cling to consciousness with all the strength he had left.

He was close to passing out by the time the coughing finally stopped. His surroundings slowly crept back into his consciousness, including M.K.'s hand rubbing soothing circles onto his back. "It's okay, it's okay," she was muttering to him over and over. Even through his dazed, muddled brain he could hear the fear in her voice.

He tried to answer, to tell her he was all right even if it was an outright lie, but all he could manage was a pitiful groan.

"Shh," she hushed. "Breathe."

So he did. It took a while for him to recover, but eventually he had his breath back—or enough to where it didn't feel like he was being stabbed every time he inhaled. M.K. smoothed back his hair and wiped his face with a wet cloth to help calm him down.

"Thanks," he was finally able to gasp.

"Are you okay?" she asked again.

Even with the pain racking his body, Nod stubbornly held onto his dignity—or what little he still had after puking his guts out in front of the girl he liked. "I'll be fine."

But even as he said it, he knew something else was wrong. It started in his fingers, not as pain, but as a tingling sensation that slowly got worse and started spreading through his palms. He flexed the fingers of his right hand again and again, heart stopping when he realized it was getting harder each time. Finally they stopped responding completely.

Nod's breath hitched in his throat. "M…?"

"What's wrong?" she asked urgently, bending over him.

"I can't feel my hands."


	4. Chapter 4

Nod was trying hard not to panic, but that was difficult to do when he couldn't even think straight because of the pain that gripped him in an iron fist. He rolled onto his back to try and alleviate it, but it only made things worse. An undignified whimper escaped his lips before he could stop it, but the stabbing ache that lanced through his middle quickly overpowered any embarrassment he felt. His hands were numb, fingers curling stiffly into his palms against his will. And now the tingling was climbing up his arms. He bent his good arm again and again, fervently trying to make it go away.

What was happening to him?

M.K. was obviously facing the same dilemma of trying not to panic. Her hands hovered over him uncertainly, wide eyes darting back and forth from his wounds to his face. She looked terror-stricken and completely lost.

"What can I do?" she asked in a calm voice that held an undercurrent of fear. "What can I do?"

"Nothing," Nod grunted. He coughed again, this time bracing himself for the fit of pain that took hold of him. It didn't help much. His vision blurred and blackened around the edges as his abdominal muscles contracted, pulling mercilessly at his wound. The agony that racked his body was excruciating, and he found himself wishing he would pass out again.

M.K. pressed the damp cloth to his cheeks and forehead, hushing him. Finally, the coughing died down again and his muscles relaxed. The pain receded as well, but the fit left a terrible burning lingering in his left side.

"Are you all right?" she asked for what must have been the tenth time in the past five minutes.

"Just great," he replied, shutting his eyes and trying to will himself into unconsciousness.

He could almost feel the redhead frowning at him. "It's gonna be okay," she told him, another phrase she'd used a lot recently. "Ronin will be back any minute. He'll know what to do. And the rain has almost stopped, so we can get back to Moonhaven. We're going to get you help. Don't worry."

Nod wanted to believe her. Honestly, he tried. But all he could focus on were his hands, lying limp and unresponsive on his stomach. He couldn't make them move. He couldn't feel the fabric of his shirt under his fingertips. And the numbness was slowly moving up his arms. Soon he wouldn't be able to move them either.

He wouldn't admit it, but he was terrified.

He didn't know much about what happened to Jinn who were struck by Boggan arrows and didn't die immediately. Now he wished he hadn't skipped that medical training, even though he'd been convinced at the time he would never have to use it. He knew it was a painful process—and was that ever proving to be true. He also knew the victims usually didn't make it.

He certainly felt like he was dying.

An unbidden groan left his throat as another jolt of hot pain shot through his body. The only comfort he took was in the fact that his arm still hurt, although not as badly as before. As long as it was hurting it meant the numbness hadn't traveled that far up his arms. Yet.

"Hang on, okay?" M.K. dabbed his face with the rag again, but it no longer felt soothing. Now it was just as hot and sticky as the rest of him.

Vaguely, Nod wondered what "hanging on" meant. He supposed what she really meant was "don't die," but how could he control that? He felt awful—his whole body throbbed in time with the beat of his heart and his insides felt like they were constricting so that even when he didn't move he was in pain—and, if he had to be completely honest, he was about two seconds away from considering death welcome if it put him out of this anguish. It only seemed to be getting worse as time went on.

All he could do was lie there and close his eyes. Eventually he was able to fall into a light, fitful sleep, but the shadows and nightmarish images that haunted his fevered mind caused it to be more exhausting than if he'd remained awake. And still he slept, because at least the nightmares distracted him from thinking about the rot slowly consuming him from the inside out.

* * *

M.K. watched helplessly as Nod thrashed in his sleep, lost to delirium. She'd been hoping he would sleep, but now she was wondering if he would be better off awake. He wasn't resting.

In the end, though, she decided that a fitful sleep was better for him than none at all. She tried to calm him as best she could, but he'd stopped responding to her fingers combing his hair and her soothing words. His head turned back and forth across his pillow of leaves restlessly and he wouldn't quit trembling. Every once in a while he would mumble incoherently or cry out or kick, and a small part of M.K. was glad his hands were numb or she might get a fist to the face. But she would gladly take that over his current state.

Now that Nod couldn't see, she let some of the panic inside her break loose. She backed away from him on her hands and knees, chin quivering as she tried to keep a fresh wave of tears at bay. But she failed. With all her pent-up emotions finally coming to the surface, she let herself cry openly. She didn't know what to do. She didn't know if there was anything she _could_ do. And she didn't know which was worse.

Ronin was gone and she was all alone watching a boy that she cared for deeply suffer before her eyes, and there wasn't a thing she could do about it. She was completely exhausted in every sense of the word and absolutely scared out of her mind and…

And Nod was _dying_…

Her arms gave out and she hunched over into the dirt, sobs racking her body. _I can't do this anymore. I can't watch him like this. Ronin, why did you leave me here by myself? I don't want to be alone. _She knew she wasn't really alone, but with Nod in the state he was in, she might as well be. Actually, she would prefer solitude at this point. Then she wouldn't have to listen to his feverish outbursts and cries of pain…and she wouldn't be forced to replay her mother's death in her mind over and over and over. Because that was exactly what it felt like. She'd watched her waste away, completely helpless and powerless to stop the inevitable.

And now here she was again, witnessing someone she cared for go through it all over again. As if the first time hadn't been hard enough.

She sniffed and opened her eyes, tears dripping into the dirt, and tried to calm her sobbing. Crying wouldn't help Nod. There wasn't much else to do, so she did the last thing she knew how. It was what she'd done with her mother in her last moments.

She crawled to Nod's right side and laid down next to him, resting her head on his shoulder, a hand on his chest. The doctor told her to lie with her mom when she was dying to bring comfort and assurance. Maybe it would help him too.

It seemed to work. His thrashing calmed a bit and his erratic breathing began to even out. She murmured the same things she'd been telling him for the past few hours softly, not knowing if he could hear her voice or not. But she had to do _something_. She was tired of feeling useless. It didn't take long for the unhealthy heat radiating from his burning skin to seep through her clothes, but she didn't dare leave him. She could feel the faint beating of his heart under her fingers and closed her eyes, letting the sensation bring her comfort. It was dull and suppressed, but somehow it still felt strong, just like him.

"You're going to be okay, you know that?" she whispered. Her voice was shaky, but she felt compelled to tell him. "I'm sure of it. You…you wouldn't let something stupid like this take you away from me. You told me once that you plan to be a great Leafman like your dad. And if you're the guy I think you are—_know_ you are—then you won't let this stop you. I know you'll do great things. You already have. So just…fight this for me, okay? Fight hard." She hoisted herself up and kissed his cheek. Then she blushed, feeling silly for both the words that had tumbled from her mouth and for being embarrassed about them when Nod couldn't even hear her. But as she settled back against his chest, she knew she meant them. Her hand rested over his heart again, seeking out his pulse. It was still beating steadily.

He was alive. And he would stay that way.

* * *

"M.K.?"

She groaned, trying to shake off the hand on her shoulder.

"Wake up. I found some food."

Her mind worked sluggishly to recognize the voice. Then, with a start, her eyes flew open and she bolted upright. Her cheeks flushed as she scooted away from Nod, humiliated that Ronin had returned to find her in such a state. Though, she didn't remember falling asleep.

"Oh, really?" She yawned, rubbing her eyes.

The smallest hint of a smile played on Ronin's lips, but he quickly wiped it away and knelt next to a pile of a few nuts and berries. He jerked his head in Nod's direction. "How is he?"

"He's…uh…" She bit her lip. "Worse. His fever's risen. He woke up not long after you left and, uh…he said he couldn't feel his hands."

Ronin's brow furrowed. Something that looked vaguely like panic flashed across his face as he went to the boy's side. "Already?" he said, looking his form over, but for what M.K. couldn't guess.

A wave of unease rolled through her stomach. "What do you mean 'already?' What's wrong?"

"I've seen this happen before. The infection from the decay spreads and starts causing the body to shut down. The extremities are the first to lose feeling, but…I've never seen it happen this soon. Then again, no one I know has ever survived taking two arrows before." His eyes narrowed and he stood abruptly. "We have to get him to Moonhaven. Now."

"Now?" M.K. looked outside. The rain still hadn't stopped and was falling in a steady drizzle. "Can we make it?"

"We'll have to. If he doesn't get help soon he'll die." In a sudden burst of emotion, he slammed his fist against the side of the tree with enough force to bruise. "We should've gone as soon as the rain let up! I didn't think it would progress this fast. I'm such an…" He shook his head. "Forget the food. I'm taking him on my bird. It's faster. Will you be able to follow?"

When he looked up at her, M.K. could've sworn his eyes were misty. The thought unnerved her, so she looked away. "Yeah, I'll be fine."

He nodded and crouched next to Nod again. Without waiting another second, he eased the boy into his arms and stood slowly, obviously trying not to jostle him too much. Nod still cried out in pain, and M.K. had to repress the urge to run to him.

"Try not to fall behind," Ronin instructed as he lifted Nod into his saddle and supported him. "Flying in the rain will be a little tricky, but it's not much of a danger anymore. Still, you don't want to get lost in it."

"Right." She mounted her own bird—well, _Nod's_ bird, really. "Ready when you are."

She got one last glimpse of Nod—pale, sweating, and shaking, fever-glazed eyes rolled back in his head—before they took off. As she gave the bird a swift kick to the sides, she prayed they weren't too late.

He was going to make it.

She knew he was.

* * *

**Sorry this chapter is a little late, and shorter than I'd like. I've been out of town and haven't had much time to work on it. I'll try to get the next one up a little quicker. Also, shout-out to my friend Sheep who's been proofreading for me! I had a hard time with this part for some reason and she was a huge help. **

**If you're liking the story, send me a quick review maybe? I really appreciate feedback!**

**Thanks for reading! **


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey guys! I just wanted to take a moment to give you all a HUGE thanks for the reviews! They mean so much to me and give me so much joy to read (: I'm so grateful to each and every one of you! **

**I think there will only be a few more chapters of this story, and then I'll continue working on As Fate Would Have It. **

**Hope you enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

As soon as she left the cover of the tree cavity, M.K. understood why being out in heavy rain could be dangerous for Jinn. The experience was so different from when she was big. If she'd been her usual size, this rain would've been nothing. It might've compelled her to pull her hood up, but never would've gotten through her hoodie. Now, the raindrops were bigger than her head and were spaced much farther apart thanks to the fact that they were definitely slowing. She could see where they were falling, which made them easy to dodge.

But that wasn't what her focus was on as she flew. She kept her eyes trained meticulously on the bright green tail of Ronin's hummingbird, not daring to break her gaze for a second. Her heart was pounding. After almost a day of being cooped up in that tree, the forest outside was stimulating. The green leaves, the bright gray light emanating from an overcast sky, and even the giant, clear drops of water plummeting around her were refreshing. She was glad to be out, glad to be _doing_ something, but she couldn't enjoy the feeling. Not until Nod was safe from danger and well on the way to a full recovery. If such a thing was possible at this point.

Absentmindedly, she reached down and patted the scruffy gray feathers of Nod's bird as if to comfort it. It was silly, but she felt like an intruder riding it. Even though she'd been on its back many times before, Nod had always been in front of her. She had always only been the passenger, clinging to his torso. Now she was flying it alone. It felt wrong.

"Your rider will be back soon," she promised, feeling a pang in her heart. "Don't worry."

All she wanted was to be back at Moonhaven, safe from the rain, well fed, and with Nod out of harm's way and in real care. As they flew, she couldn't help but look up at the trees for only an instant to search for Boggans. She knew they could camouflage themselves well, so it was most likely futile. She didn't even know if they came out in the rain. Of course, she saw nothing, so she went back to watching Ronin's back.

It was a long and exhausting journey. M.K. could feel her body weakening from hunger and lack of sleep, but each time her stomach growled or her eyelids grew heavy, she shook it off, telling herself it wasn't important. How could she think of her own needs when Nod was in real danger?

She was in the middle of convincing herself she really wasn't that hungry, and consequently had stopped paying so much attention to the rain, when something heavy plopped right on her head. The bird dipped in the air, thrown off by the sudden weight, and M.K. found she was soaked to the bone. Her T-shirt clung to her skin and her bangs were plastered over her eyes with water.

Groaning in frustration, she wiped them back behind her ear and squeezed out her ponytail. Just great. Now, on top of being exhausted, she was also sopping wet. Her neck ached slightly from being bent so abruptly by the weight of the raindrop, which further validated Ronin's warnings about heavy storms. From then on, she made sure to keep her focus on maneuvering through the falling rain. At least it kept her from thinking about other things.

M.K. purposefully didn't keep track of the time as they flew, but it felt like hours before the trees parted and a familiar rock formation rose before them. When she saw the peak of Moonhaven, it felt like a thousand pounds were lifted from her shoulders. Nothing had ever looked so wonderful before. Wiping away the water that was still dripping down her face, she allowed herself to smile in relief and raced after Ronin.

As the two birds charged in at a pace much faster than what was customary, M.K. absentmindedly noticed faces beginning to peek out from under rocks and grasses in the dwindling drizzle, curious to see what the commotion was about. She paid them no mind as she landed her bird on the flat rock just seconds after Ronin had.

She rushed over to him just as he was gently inching Nod out of the saddle. He then deftly scooped the boy's flaccid form into his arms and marched hastily toward Moonhaven's entrance. There were no soldiers to greet them this time, and they had to push roughly past the leaves that guarded the archway, but Ronin refused to slow his pace. M.K. was worried that his swift stride would jostle Nod, but the young Leafman seemed dead to the world.

Once she'd caught up and was walking side by side with Ronin, he didn't even spare her a sidelong glance. His eyes were narrowed in determination, his jaw set firmly once again. He had one goal in mind and would stop at nothing to reach it. She could almost feel the urgency rolling off of him. And she knew that was as close to showing fear in Moonhaven as he would come. The broken man she'd witnessed last night in the tree was buried and gone, along with the weariness from the long, sleepless hours spent by Nod's side. She didn't expect to ever see that man again. She hoped she wouldn't need to. It had disturbed her more than she wanted to admit.

The sound of footsteps approaching became audible over the light dripping of rain, which had at last died down to almost a complete stop. M.K. looked over her shoulder to see a certain redheaded Leafman hurrying towards them.

"Ronin! You're back!"

Without breaking his stride, the general offered the man nothing more than a brief glance in acknowledgement.

Finn jogged to catch up to them, lifting a hand in greeting. But M.K. saw his welcoming smile morph into alarm when he noticed the unconscious body cradled in his superior's arms. He hurried to Ronin's other side to get a better look at Nod. "What happened?"

"Boggans," was the terse reply.

Finn's eyes widened. "But…but they haven't been seen in weeks! Are they coming back?"

Ronin worked his jaw. "I don't know. But we'll deal with that later. Right now I need you to go get the queen and bring her to the infirmary as quickly as you can."

"The…the queen?"

"You heard me. Now hurry!"

The intensity of Ronin's command was enough to let him know they were done talking. With a grim nod, the Leafman took off running.

M.K. spun, a fresh twinge of fear running down her spine. "What do you need the queen for?"

"She's the only one who can save him at this point. I didn't know…" His voice cracked and he trailed off abruptly. M.K. knew better than to ask what he was going to say.

A heavy, dire silence enveloped them as they marched across Moonhaven. She followed faithfully, trying not to look at Nod bouncing limply in Ronin's grasp in time to the man's quick steps, head hanging over his arm and hair swinging back and forth with no resistance at all. It perturbed her to see him so vulnerable and lifeless, two things she would never have associated with him before now. He was supposed to be strong and defiant and rebellious, and seeing him in a state so completely opposite to that was still hard for her to swallow, even after all this time. And watching his slack body being carried by his father figure did nothing to reassure her that he was still the same reckless, headstrong boy she knew. _Knows_.

Ronin's breathing was heavy with the exertion from bearing his burden, but he seemed set on seeing the task through. M.K. had never been to the infirmary so she didn't know how far away it was. Logically, it shouldn't be too far into Moonhaven. At least that's what she was hoping.

They traversed the outer rocks and made their way into the tunnels of the fortress. Ronin led them through a labyrinth of halls in a wing completely foreign to M.K. She'd never been in the east side. Nod told her that was where the Leafmen's armory and quarters were located, so there wasn't much to see. He never mentioned the infirmary. Their pounding footsteps echoed off the stone walls. The farther in they went, the faster Ronin seemed to walk. By the time they burst through a cluster of roots and into a small hollow he was all but running.

M.K. knew it was the infirmary the minute she entered. The roots and matted grasses formed a sort of cave that was semi-dark and private. A few rays of weak light from the overcast sky found their way through the tangled ceiling overhead and cast faint patches on the floor. The place was empty at the moment, but the walls were lined with stout cots made of twigs and long, thick grass blades.

Ronin hastened to the nearest one and laid Nod upon it with an uncharacteristic tenderness that surprised M.K. She watched as this calloused man—this battle-hardened, no-nonsense warrior—smoothed back the boy's sweat-dampened hair and adjusted his bandages with poorly hidden affection. The stony expression he always wore melted away into weariness and concern as he sunk down onto a rock near the head of the cot.

After a moment, he gave M.K. a sidelong look and laughed humorlessly. "You look a little wet. Have some trouble on the way?"

She "humph"ed and reached back to wring her hair out again, shivering in her damp clothes.

He gave another halfhearted laugh before his countenance saddened again. With a heavy sigh, he took off his helmet and buried his face in his hands. "I'm such a fool."

M.K. blinked. So maybe she had been wrong about not seeing this man again. She didn't know whether to leave him alone or try to comfort him. After standing there awkwardly for a few seconds, she tentatively approached him from behind and laid a cautious hand on his shoulder. "Don't say that, Ronin. You didn't—"

"I should've gotten him here sooner," he continued as if she wasn't even there. "I just thought he would be okay. I thought that by some miracle the arrows had been removed before any real damage could be done. He's always been a fighter and I just hoped…" His broad shoulders slumped as he let out a loud, hissing breath, knotting his fingers together in front of his eyes. "I was an idiot. I promised his father I'd look out for him, protect him. I should've done a better job."

M.K. frowned, her hand tightening on his shoulder. "Don't beat yourself up. It wasn't your fault."

He began to shake his head and opened his mouth to protest when he was interrupted the sound of someone coming into the room. They turned collectively to the entryway just as a Jinn woman hurried in—a soft magenta flower tinged in white. In her arms she held a bundle of cloth bandages, a large canteen, and sprigs of herbs.

She stopped when she saw them and bowed her head respectively. "Excuse me, General. My name is Heather, and I'm a healer here. Finn told me there was an injured Leafman."

M.K. stepped aside to allow her a clear view of the bed. The flower's eyes landed on Nod and she wasted no time in hurrying to his side. Ronin stood and moved away from the cot as well to give her space to work.

M.K. fiddled absentmindedly with the sleeve of her hoodie, which she'd bound around her waist, and watched the healer's quick fingers untie the makeshift grass-bandages around Nod's arm and torso. She had to look away when the wounds were uncovered, not wanting to see the bloodstains again. From her peripheral vision, she could tell Heather was assessing his injuries with a grave, professional eye, reaching for some cloths and her canteen to clean them.

"Boggan arrows?" she inquired. It was more of a statement than a question. Her tone made it clear she already knew the answer.

"Yes," Ronin confirmed. The tenderness in his aura that had been present a moment ago was gone, replaced once more with the stoic soldier everyone was familiar with. He stood with folded arms, feet shoulder-width apart, looking on with a hardened gaze.

"I thought they'd left," Heather said as she wrung water from a cloth onto Nod's arm.

"So did I. Obviously we were wrong."

She nodded, head bent low over her working hands. "Well, I can clean and bandage the wounds but I'm afraid the rot is…"

"I know. I've already sent for the queen."

She nodded again in open relief, her petals bouncing with the motion. "Let's just hope she gets here soon."

"Finn knows it's urgent," Ronin stated, glancing quickly at the entrance.

A few long minutes of silence stretched between them as Heather worked, only the slosh of water occasionally breaking it. Then she muttered softly, almost as if she was embarrassed to be heard, "He's very lucky, you know. If the arrows had been left in much longer he would be dead by now."

Ronin didn't respond, but M.K. saw the creases on his forehead deepen.

"Is…" She swallowed past the lump in her throat. "Is he going to be okay?"

The flower didn't answer immediately. She finished wrapping the bandage carefully around Nod's arm and secured it, then laid a hand on his forehead. "If the queen is able to rid his body of the rot in time, then yes, he should be fine. Eventually. Recovery will be slow, but Ronin knows all about that. Don't you, Ronin?"

Ronin took a step closer and regarded the Jinn woman curiously. Then, to M.K.'s surprise, he chuckled. "I _thought_ you looked familiar. Yes, I suppose you're right."

M.K. raised a quizzical eyebrow in his direction. "Something I should know?"

He threw her a look over his shoulder and shrugged. "A long time ago I took an arrow to the shoulder during battle. Heather here helped to look after me while I was stuck in this place. Took forever, even though the damage was minimal."

"I believe you were just very impatient to leave," Heather said softly with a smile.

The faintest grin played on Ronin's lips. "That too." His eyes skimmed down to Nod again. "And if I'm right, this kid's gonna be the exact same way."

"I guess I'll have my hands full, then."

M.K.'s heart fluttered with the first traces of hope she'd felt in what seemed like a very long time. They really believed Nod was going to be okay. But as good as that was to know, she was reluctant to let herself feel relief just yet.

Heather was just finishing bandaging Nod's abdomen when they heard a flurry of footsteps pounding down the hall. Finn came in first, chest heaving from what must've been a long run.

"I went as fast as I could, Ronin," he gasped, taking off his helmet.

Ronin nodded to him gratefully as the rest of the party entered. A tall daisy Jinn that M.K. had learned served as the queen's adviser was close on Finn's heels. Lastly came a familiar wide-eyed marigold girl, donned in flowing white petal robes.

Ronin and Heather bowed when she entered, and M.K. quickly copied their example.

"Here, your majesty," Finn directed, leading the way to Nod's cot. "No time to lose."

The young queen looked frightened and almost hesitant as she approached him. Eyes the size of acorns and a worried brow graced her delicate features. From what M.K. had heard from Ronin, the girl had been quickly adapting to her duties as the Jinn's ruler, but she was still very young and inexperienced. And with the recent lull in Boggan activity, it was safe to assume she'd never had to use healing powers before.

She came to Nod's bedside and looked down at him reverently, biting her bottom lip.

"Remember what Nim taught you," the daisy whispered, touching the queen's shoulder encouragingly.

She swallowed and nodded. It seemed as if the whole room held its breath as she knelt and placed two small hands on Nod's broken body, closing her eyes in deep concentration. Her lips moved soundlessly, uttering words only she knew.

M.K. drew in a sharp gasp as the little flower's hands began to glow softly. Not long after, tendrils of light snaked out from her fingers and curled around Nod's chest in an almost tender embrace. The glow grew and intensified until M.K. could no longer see Nod behind it. It got brighter and brighter, changing rapidly from the gentle gold to a blinding white. She squinted against the brilliance of it and turned her head away, covering her eyes with the crook of her elbow.

Almost thirty seconds later, it finally died down as quickly as it had come and finally disappeared. She peeked out from under her arm nervously, almost afraid to see what kind of shape Nod was in now, utterly terrified she would find out it hadn't worked.

But Nod looked exactly the same. The queen still had her hands on his chest and her eyes closed. An instant later she opened them, a satisfied smile creeping across her face. "I did it."

Ronin took a step forward. "You're sure? Absolutely certain?"

The girl nodded firmly. "I'm positive. I can't detect a trace of decay anymore."

Everyone in the room let out a collective sigh of relief. M.K. smiled widely, relishing the feeling. Nod was okay. He wasn't going to die.

_Well, of course not. _She knew that.

She'd known it all along.

* * *

**Am I doing okay with characterization? To be honest I haven't written a great deal fanfiction before now, so I'm wondering how believable the characters are. Not to mention I've only seen Epic twice. I'd appreciate it if you'd let me know!**

**Thanks for reading!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey there! Sorry this is so late, but it's about twice as long as the previous chapters have been so I hope that makes up for it a little. **

**Thank you guys so much for your reviews! I'm so grateful to all of you!**

* * *

The only reason M.K. left Nod's side for the rest of the day was to eat, wash, and change into dry clothes. One of the female Leafmen had graciously offered her a light green gossamer tunic to wear, complete with a grass belt and boots made from leaves and tree bark. She'd worn Jinn garb before, but only long enough to wash her own clothes when they got dirty, which never took more than an hour. This time, though, she had no desire to wash her clothes. She just wanted to stay with Nod and be there when he awoke. She didn't even put her hair back in its usual ponytail before hurrying back to the infirmary to sit with him. It made an incredible difference, being fed and dry, and she felt a thousand times better than she had that morning, but she wouldn't be truly content until Nod woke up and proved that he was on the road to recovery.

Ronin, it seemed, felt the same way, but on a lesser scale. He had Leafman duties to attend to, after all, and being absent for almost a day had left him with some catching up to do. But he visited Nod every spare moment he had. He was in and out of the infirmary many times during the course of the afternoon to check on him. M.K. never thought she would ever see the man so anxious or worried. Now that Nod was no longer at Death's door and they weren't scared completely out of their minds, Ronin seemed to take on a gentler, more caring attitude toward the boy. She could tell by the look in his eyes when he came to visit. He wasn't openly loving or anything (this was, after all, _Ronin_ they were dealing with), but she could still pick out a distinctly paternal quality in his mannerisms that she'd never seen before. Of course she knew that Ronin saw Nod as a son, and Nod, in turn, viewed Ronin as a father. Everyone knew that. But she couldn't say she'd ever observed Ronin acting like a loving parent to the young soldier before now. And even now, it was subdued—at least while she was still in the room. He kept it to little things like adjusting the pillows, brushing hair out of Nod's face, and once even pulling the blanket up after he'd kicked it back in a feverish sleep. Just subtle gestures that she might not have thought anything of had she not been observing. But even then, she found it heartwarming. Ronin was not a person to display emotion openly in the slightest, so the affection in his eyes when he looked at Nod was blatant even if he didn't want it to be.

Secretly, M.K. smiled at it.

She refused to budge from Nod's side for the rest of the day. Heather came in multiple times to check on his condition, and each time begged her to leave and get some rest, but M.K. wouldn't hear of it. She couldn't stand the thought of Nod waking and not being the first to know. She'd dozed off a few times, just like she had in the tree, and convinced herself it was rest enough for now.

It was getting late. The sun (which had at last made an appearance that afternoon) was sinking rapidly towards the horizon. Heather had brought in a candle not too long ago and it burned quietly at Nod's bedside. M.K. watched the shadows dance over the contours of his face, the thin sheen of sweat covering it glistening in the soft firelight. His chest was bare so she could see the swaths of white bandages binding it tightly. Thankfully he hadn't bled through them since the last time they were changed, which had been about an hour prior. His breathing was also evening out and becoming less labored. All in all, it seemed like he was finally on the mend.

But he still hadn't woken up beyond the occasional incoherent muttering.

Heather assured her it was for the best. He needed to rest and get his strength back. No doubt the decay had sapped him of it completely. But M.K. was still impatient. She wanted him to be well again, to get back to being the Nod she knew. She wanted him to take her to more amazing places, to tease her, to do _anything_ but lie there, unresponsive to her voice and touch.

The candle sputtered and spat, the shortening wick a constant reminder of the time that was passing. She rested her head in her palm, eyelids fluttering, and slipped once more into a light sleep.

* * *

Nod had no idea how long it was until he gradually started to become aware of his surroundings again. When he first felt himself drifting towards consciousness, he tried to recoil from it. Terrifying memories of agonizing, twisting pain that stole his ability to breathe right lingered at the edges of his mind like nightmares and he had no desire to relive them. But his efforts to stay immersed in sleep and senselessness were futile.

The sticky, dry feeling in his mouth was the very first thing he noticed. The second was that something was different. For a moment he couldn't decipher just what it was, only that it was pleasant. He'd been scared of the pain he remembered consuming him the last time he woke, but all he felt now was a dull throbbing in his left side. Nothing compared to earlier. His gut wasn't roiling and he didn't feel quite so hot. His limbs still felt heavy as lead, but at least they weren't aching anymore. The pounding headache had quieted too, though it was still present in his temples, threatening to come back full force if he moved too suddenly. But it was such a relief not to be swallowed by agony again that he hardly noticed.

So, emboldened and no longer afraid of consciousness, Nod slowly opened his eyes. His vision blurred into focus to reveal the infirmary at Moonhaven. So they weren't still stuck in that tree. That was good. Although it raised the question of exactly how long he'd been out for. He blinked a few times, trying to clear the fog away, and realized that night had fallen. The bits of sky that could be seen through the infirmary's ceiling were dark and speckled with stars. The only source of light was a candle flickering weakly to his right.

Then he became aware of the soft sound of breathing on the other side. His head was heavy as he turned it, the headache intensifying with the motion. But it was worth it when he saw M.K. sitting there by his cot, asleep.

The sight of her put a small smile on his lips. He took a moment just to gaze at the girl before trying to wake her. He rarely ever saw her in anything other than her human outfit, so the sight of her dressed in the green leafy clothes made his heart flutter. Secretly, he thought she was prettier than any Jinn he'd ever seen. The green of the dress looked good on her. Her auburn hair fell over her shoulders in gentle waves, something else he rarely saw. He'd told her before that she ought to leave her hair down more often, but she only rolled her eyes.

"M," he muttered after a few minutes had passed. His voice was scratchy and his throat was dry, causing him to cough.

M.K. didn't stir.

"M," he repeated, a little louder, annoyed at his voice for being so raspy and soft.

She groaned in protest and buried her face farther into her palm.

Gathering his strength, he took a deep breath and tried one more time. "M.K."

This time her head lifted an inch from her hand and she blinked sleepily. Then, suddenly, her eyes widened and rose to meet his.

The next second, her arms were around his neck. "Nod!"

He tried to return the hug, but found only one arm was working at the moment and it took more strength than he had to lift it. But at least he had feeling back. Instead, he settled for murmuring a weak, "Hey."

"You're awake!"

He laughed tiredly. "Yeah. Yeah, I am."

"I was so worried!" She leaned back and scooted her stool closer to his side. "Do you have _any_ idea what you put me through? I thought you were going to die!"

He rolled his head to the side to see her better. "But I didn't."

"Yeah, thanks to Ronin."

_Ronin. _The name sent an inexplicable twinge of longing through him. He would never admit it, but he wished the man was there with him at that moment. It would give him some assurance.

Before he could ask _where_ he was, M.K. pushed a strand of hair behind her ear and asked gently, "So, how are you feeling?" The worry in her tone was unmistakable.

"Honestly? Like I just got chewed up and spit back out." He managed a small, reassuring smile. "But better. A lot better."

A wide grin of relief split across her face, and Nod felt like he'd do anything to keep it there. Now that she was closer and he was more clearheaded, he could see how exhausted and bedraggled she looked despite the flattering clothes. It was as if she hadn't slept in days. The lines of stress and anxiety etched into her face didn't suit her at all and he didn't like them one bit. A pang of guilt hit him when he realized he was probably the reason they were there. But the smile that brightened her countenance now was genuine, and he was determined to keep it that way.

"I'm glad," she said. "You were…you were in pretty bad shape for a while there."

"I remember."

Her green eyes widened. "You do?"

"A little. It's…fuzzy." He looked to the ceiling, trying to shake away the memories of heat and haze and pain. But then he thought of something he remembered almost more clearly than anything else. _He was immobile, but aware of a distinct weight on his right shoulder, the feeling of something laid tenderly across his chest, and a soft, sweet voice whispering affectionately to him. Only to him. The words were comforting to hear, even after he could no longer decipher their meaning. The voice followed him into his sleep, and for once he wasn't afraid of the darkness. _"You…"

"What?" M.K. asked when he trailed off.

He turned his gaze back to her and grinned wryly. "I remember you talking to me."

Nod could've sworn he saw a blush bloom across her cheeks, but it was hard to tell in the dim light. "Oh?"

"Yeah. Something about me being a great Leafman…? Doing great things? Something like that?"

She stiffened and grabbed at a loose strand of hair, her eyes quickly flitting away to a spot on the floor. "You must've been imagining it. You were delirious."

"Was I? I remember that part pretty clearly."

His grin widened when her eyes snapped back over to him in annoyance. "I never said that, Nod. You were just dreaming."

Now he could see her face had become undeniably red. She was a horrible liar. He knew he was right, but ended up deciding to let the matter drop. Although seeing her so flustered was amusing, he wasn't really in much of a mood to tease. He could feel the energy draining from his body rapidly. "If you say so. Hey, I meant to ask. What exactly—" At that moment, his dry throat decided it had had enough abuse and his voice deteriorated into a fit of harsh coughing. Twinges of pain shot through his stomach with each spasm.

He felt M.K.'s hand slide under the back of his head and lift it up slowly. Then she was pressing a canteen to his lips. He drank from it gratefully, feeling the water moisten his parched tongue. When he'd finished, she helped him lie back down.

"Thanks," he said sleepily, his short burst of wakefulness starting to fade.

"You all right?" she asked.

"Yeah, fine." He tried to ignore the stinging ache in his abdomen. His eyelids fluttered as he began to have to fight for consciousness.

"Don't go to sleep yet," M.K. urged, rising to her feet. "The nurse will want to look at you. And Ronin will want to know you're awake."

The idea of getting to see Ronin was enough to make him want to consent. He blinked heavily. "I'll do my best."

He watched her as she rushed out of the room. Yes, he decided, Jinn dresses did wonders for her figure.

* * *

It didn't take hardly any effort to get Ronin rushing to the infirmary. After M.K. had informed Heather that Nod was awake, she went directly to Nim's tree where the Leafman general was having a late night drink with Finn. As soon as he saw her come running up, he was on his feet, gazing at her intently with inquiring eyes. She'd barely started to say "Nod" before he was making a beeline for the entrance. As a result, he reached Moonhaven well ahead of her, but she still managed to come bursting into the infirmary on his heels.

Heather was in the middle of re-bandaging Nod's arm when they charged in rather unceremoniously.

Nod lifted his head a little and raised his eyebrows at their frantic entrance. "Hi guys," he slurred drowsily.

M.K. heard a soft breath escape Ronin before he was crossing the room in several long strides to reach the cot. He knelt beside Nod, a relieved smile trying to force its way across his features for a moment before he finally let it. "Hey, kid."

Nod returned the smile, blinking in an apparent effort to fight unconsciousness. "Hey, Ronin."

"You gave us quite a scare, you know that?" he said, ruffling Nod's hair gently.

"Sorry," the boy muttered.

A shadow passed over Ronin's face. "Wasn't your fault."

"It was a Boggan…wasn't it?"

"That's right," Ronin answered, giving M.K. a quick glance.

Nod's brow wrinkled in confusion. "Are they coming back? Have you seen any more?"

"No. Not yet. But we're keeping a sharp eye out."

He shook his head back and forth across the pillow. "I should be out there…helping you."

"Nah, you'll be out there soon enough." Ronin brightened back up again and patted Nod's shoulder. "Just worry about recovery for now. And do everything Heather tells you to do, all right?"

"Right."

"Even if it means taking gross medicine."

In his half-awake state, Nod still managed to roll his eyes. "Yeah, yeah."

Ronin chuckled softly. "Good boy. And you know that if you don't I'll hear about it, and you don't want that."

"What're you gonna do?" he mumbled, somehow smirking with his usual cockiness. "I'm injured. You can't punish me or…or anything."

"Maybe not now. But when you've recovered and return to active duty, you can bet I'll make training hell for you."

"You do that…already."

Ronin laughed openly. "You haven't seen anything yet, kid. Trust me." He patted his shoulder gently again. "Now get some rest. I want you back on your feet before too long."

The young soldier gave a nod, a faint smile on his face, and closed his eyes. Heather had finished wrapping up his arm and was waiting at the end of the bed. Soon Ronin stood and walked toward her, his countenance serious once more.

"How's he doing?" he asked, motioning back at Nod with his head.

Heather's brow lifted. "Much better. His fever has dropped considerably, and the wounds are already beginning to show signs of mending. They're not nearly as bad now that the rot is gone. If he doesn't push himself too much, he should be up in about a week. Maybe less."

M.K. smirked to herself. _That's going to kill him_. It would be amusing to see him being forced to stay still for days on end. She'd have to make sure his impatience didn't get the better of him. Over the course of the past few weeks, she'd had a lot practice dealing with Nod's impulsiveness so it wouldn't be too hard to manage. She would much rather deal with him being antsy and restless than the state he'd been in that morning. Already she was trying to push the image of him so sickly and still to the very back of her mind, never to be thought of again. It had disturbed her far too much for her to admit—even to herself. And it didn't matter anymore, anyway. Nod was going to get better and everything would soon be back to normal.

Ronin and Heather walked toward the door, discussing what Nod's recovery process would involve. M.K. hung back for a moment. Once they had left the room, she stole back over to the cot and knelt beside the boy again. He was sleeping soundly, a peaceful look on his features. She smiled as she smoothed back a lock of his hair, and then pressed an affectionate kiss to his brow.

"Thanks for pulling through for me," she whispered before slipping out to catch up with Ronin.

* * *

The next two days were slower than she'd been expecting. Nod slept a lot, trying to gain back the strength that the decay had stolen from him. When he was awake, she sat and talked with him until his energy was gone. She was thankful when he didn't bring up what she'd said back in the tree again. It was humiliating enough to know that he'd heard her without him teasing her about it.

Gradually, the color returned to his face and the times he was coherent grew longer and longer. By the third day, he was asking when he could get up.

"We can get you sitting today if you'd like," Heather told him as she mixed up an herbal paste for his wounds. "I think you're well enough."

"Okay." Nod's face brightened considerably.

M.K. watched him with a smile. It had been such a relief to see him healing so quickly, and now that he was almost back to his old self she realized how much she'd missed him. He had been complaining to her since that morning, telling her how boring it was to lie on his back all day, which prevented him from even feeding himself. Once he'd become lucid enough to realize that fact, he was openly mortified. M.K. had been right—it was quite amusing to watch.

Heather applied the paste and re-bandaged his injuries with a quick, practiced hand. "It's not going to be pleasant. You know that, right?"

"Can't be any worse than this," he retorted, gesturing to himself. "Besides, I gotta do it sometime."

The magenta flower nodded. "All right then." She moved her supplies aside and looked at M.K. inquiringly. "Would you go to his other side and help? I don't want him straining his abdominal muscles."

She was happy to oblige and moved to Nod's right side. Mirroring Heather's movements, she slid one arm under his back and gripped his bicep with the other.

"Try not to use your muscles at all," the healer instructed, giving Nod a stern look. "It'll only hurt more and put stress on the wound. Let us do the work, okay?"

"Got it," he consented with a subtle roll of his eyes.

"On three. And go slowly," Heather said, and then proceeded to count. "One, two…"

When she reached three, M.K. put all her strength into hoisting him up. With her and Heather's combined efforts, he was lighter than she'd been anticipating. Gently, they lifted him into a sitting position.

Nod's face clenched in pain. M.K. could tell he was doing everything he could to keep quiet, but a low groan still made its way past his lips as he clutched at his side. Heather quickly stacked pillows behind his back to support his upper body and he leaned into them.

"Are you okay?" M.K. asked intently.

"Yeah." Nod's answer was strained through gritted teeth as he fought to gain some control over the pain. "Just…give me a minute." He took a few deep breaths and sat up a little straighter. "That wasn't so bad."

M.K. eyed him dubiously. "Uh huh."

He made a face at her and looked ready to snap back when the curtain in the entryway was pushed aside and Finn entered, dressed in full armor. M.K. blinked in surprise. Why was _he_ here? She was happy to see him, but he'd only stopped by a few times since Nod had been admitted to the infirmary, and it had always been with Ronin. His coming in at such a random time alone was strange. She watched as he approached with tenseness in his stride, one hand resting on the pommel of his sword. As he got closer, M.K. could clearly see distress in his features and felt a flutter of apprehension in her gut. Something must be wrong.

But when he reached the cot, Finn smiled, covering all traces of unease. "Nod! It's good to see you sitting up. How are you doing?"

Nod looked just as taken aback as she felt. "Fine, thanks." He looked the Leafman up and down, apparently searching for clues to the reason for his visit. "Is, uh…is there something going on? Where's Ronin?"

Finn reached back to rub his neck. "Well, actually, he sent me to deliver a message. There is—_was_—some reported Boggan activity a little while ago near the western falls, so he's taking a squad to go check it out. He wanted me to let you know he's sorry he couldn't come by earlier, but he'll visit as soon as he gets back."

"The western falls? That's close." Nod shifted in bed to sit up straighter, wincing as he did so. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, yeah," Finn said a little too quickly, smiling nervously. "It…might be nothing. And besides, we knew they were bound to show up again eventually, right?" When no one responded, he cleared his throat awkwardly. "I have to get going. I'll tell Ronin you're feeling better?" Without waiting for an answer, he jogged out the door and was gone.

A stunned silence enveloped the room for a few seconds. Then Heather stood up slowly, her bundle of herbs gathered tightly in her arms. "I'm going to put these away. I'll be right back, you two." Then she, too, hurried from the room.

Nod shifted again. "Something's not right."

M.K. put a hand on his shoulder as if to keep him still. "We don't know that. Finn said it might be nothing. And even if something _is_ wrong, there's nothing you can do about it. So don't get any ideas."

"I'm not! I just want to make sure everything's okay."

"_I'll_ make sure everything's okay," she told him sternly, rising to her feet. "You stay right here."

He scowled. "It's not like I can go anywhere."

"Right. I'll be back in a minute, okay?" As she left the room, she couldn't stop a trace of panic from running down her spine. Finn's behavior was odd, to say the least. Nod had picked up on it too. What if something really was wrong? Most of the Leafman had been wary since the Boggans had seemingly disappeared, not believing for one second they'd really gone for good. And she wasn't stupid—she knew Nod would want to do everything he could to help if there was trouble.

If there was, she just hoped he would use his better judgment for a change and not do anything foolish.

* * *

_They must think I'm idiot_, Nod grumbled to himself as he placed his good hand on the side of the cot and began to hoist himself up on it. His left arm was still infuriatingly useless and hung in a sling around his neck. Actually, he just felt entirely useless as a whole at the moment.

That was why he couldn't stay in that bed when something was wrong. And he _knew_ something was wrong. Finn had made that painfully obvious. It was also obvious that Ronin didn't want him to know about whatever was happening. Probably for his own good, but Nod wasn't a child. He knew how far he could push himself. And after three days of lying flat on his back, he _needed_ to move. He was strong, he could do it.

Glancing back at the doorway one more time to make sure no one was coming, he scooted himself toward the edge of the cot. Bolts of pain seared through his middle as his muscles contracted, but he clenched his teeth and did his best to ignore it. He would not allow himself to stay confined to this room when his fellow Leafmen were out defending Moonhaven—if that was in fact what they were doing, and he was sure they were. He swung his legs over the side and nearly doubled over with the agony it caused. A small part of his brain suggested that this might not be the best idea so soon in his recovery, but the larger part told him to stop being such a weakling and _stand up already_.

So, taking a deep breath and bracing himself for more pain, he slowly rose to his feet on trembling legs.

And immediately collapsed.

* * *

**Nod, you are an idiot. **

**Thanks for reading!**


End file.
